We debate what it will take to resolve the dispute between W.Va. teachers/state employees and GOP leaders

Every public school in West Virginia was closed Thursday and Friday as thousands of school employees flooded the state Capitol, asking for larger pay increases and a fix for the state employees health insurance system.

The Legislature has already passed a 2 percent pay raise for all state employees and promised to freeze insurance premiums for 17 months - but many teachers and school employees say it's not enough.

Most people who overdose on opioids have seen a health care provider in the last year, and many had recently been released from jail, according to a new study from West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.

This suggests that overdoses can be prevented with the right intervention.

The Front Porch debates how we can change attitudes toward opioid treatment

Gov. Justice’s second State of the State made full use of several props, two whiteboards and his entire girls’ basketball team.

Justice also laid out what he thought was really important in his speech. Here are two themes I heard: finally turning the corner on the opioid epidemic, and helping young people find technical and vocational careers.

There's a severe staffing crisis in West Virginia's jails - listen to us debate possible solutions

How bad is the staffing crisis in West Virginia's jails and prisons?

So bad, Gov. Jim Justice asked the National Guard to help with staffing. And he signed an order allowing corrections employees to keep unused vacation time, because they've been forced to work so much overtime.

Congress has passed the GOP tax bill – will it help the people of West Virginia?

That’s the debate we’re having on The Front Porch podcast this week, with liberal columnist Rick Wilson with the American Friends Service Committee, and guest host Jessi Troyan, Ph.D. economist with the free-market Cardinal Institute in Charleston.

Shockingly, they have starkly different takes on the tax bill. Wilson says its another step toward turning America into an oligarchy, and a trojan horse designed to force cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.

What will President Trump's executive orders do to the insurance market in West Virginia?

Kara Lofton has been reporting on that issue, and she says it could mean 19,000 West Virginians seeing premium increases averaging $1,200 on the Afforadable Healthcare Act exchanges. Meanwhile, Trump's order to allow associations to sell insurance across state lines could lower rates for some.

Lofton speaks with Scott Finn and Rick Wilson on this week's Front Porch podcast about what this means for rural healthcare.

There's a surprising correlation between guns and WV Trump voters. Also, the fight over school consolidation goes to the Supreme Court. And our favorite Tom Petty songs.

There's a surprising correlation between guns and West Virginia's Trump voters. Also, the fight over school consolidation goes to the Supreme Court. And our favorite Tom Petty songs. On this week's Front Porch podcast.

Two months later, what has Gov. Jim Justice's switch to the Republican Party changed in the state?

It's been almost two months since Governor Jim Justice, elected as a Democrat, changed his party affiliation to Republican. WV MetroNews's Brad McElhinny talks to Laurie and Rick about the reasons behind the switch, and examine whether it's made the job of governing any easier for Justice. Will it help him with the upcoming road bond referendum?

The Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy is sponsoring a big intellectual shindig here in Charleston on Thursday with the American Conservative Union. It's called, "West Virginia on the Rise: Rebuilding the Economy, Rebuilding Lives."

The conference features speeches by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, W.Va. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, and Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va.

There also will be panel discussions with national experts on drug abuse, the economy, and changes in the family.